Rumours of My Demise: A Memoir

by Evan Dando

After Kurt Cobain's passing in 1994, everyone expected Evan Dando to be next. The Lemonheads frontman, songwriter and actor started in the 80s hardcore scene and went on to become a 90s icon. Think of Evan Dando, and you think of heroin chic, grunge and celebrity burnout. Perhaps known as much for his partying and boyish good looks, after two gold records and the kind of fame that you just can't enjoy anymore, The Lemonheads cooled off and life went on.


Dando grew up in Boston, the son of a lawyer and a model, and attended the prestigious Commonwealth School. Fame was never what motivated him but the lure of the wild life proved trickier to refuse. From sneaking into concerts as a child, to sleeping on floors in the punk rock days, to crashing at Johnny Depp's place in Hollywood, he was right there in the thick of it. So much so that social media once reported his death.


Now, very much alive, sober, and enjoying a life in South America when he's not on the road, Evan Dando is going to tell his own story. His memoir will remind readers what was so great about the pre-internet 90 the innocence, the access, and the anonymity. Reclaiming the purity and exuberance of his early days and encapsulating the spirit of the era, this candid autobiography presents a portrait of an artist who lives wholly for his music, and one that makes no apologies for doing so.

Genres: Music, Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Collections

293 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2025

About the author

Evan Griffith Dando is a musician, most notably the guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock band the Lemonheads.

Reviews

[Larry (LPosse1) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A messy, memorable ride through a messy, memorable life

I want to start by saying this upfront: I love the Lemonheads. Evan Dando is stitched into the patchwork of my 1990s youth. I saw him and the band more times than I can count at clubs around Chicago. He’s also—full disclosure—one of the only men I’ve ever kissed. Long story. Let’s just say there was drinking, a lot of talking about music, and at one point he was making out with my girlfriend and I. Ah, the 90s. What a decade.

That chaotic energy permeates Rumors of My Demise, for better and for worse. Dando is a gifted songwriter, a genuine talent—and also a major drug addict. Drugs run through this book like a bassline you can’t turn down, and your tolerance for that will likely shape your experience of the memoir.

I saw him play a solo show last summer, and hearing those songs again (“Shame About Ray” and Come On Feel the Lemonheads will always be hook-filled masterpieces) was a thrill. He was also completely f**ked up and borderline incoherent… and somehow still put on a good show. That contradiction—fragile and brilliant at the same time—comes across throughout the book.

I genuinely enjoyed this memoir. I learned a lot about his relationship with Juliana Hatfield—complicated, creative, and very human. His friendship with Tiffany Sedaris was fascinating and deeply sad, another tragic thread woven into his life. Dando was the original “alternahunk,” and the book doesn’t shy away from the fame, the photo shoots, and yes, the endless scoring of dope. At times, those sections dragged a bit for me.

But the stories, the music quips, the behind-the-scenes snapshots of 90s alt-rock culture—they kept me turning the pages. If you came of age with post-punk, indie, or alternative music—or if you just want to revisit the beautiful, chaotic mess of the 90s—this memoir is worth your time.

A flawed but fascinating read. Recommended if you are a Lemonhead!! Audible edition

[Adam Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a Lemonheads fan for more than 30 years and was really looking forward to this but unfortunately it was somewhat of a letdown. Evan pulls too many punches and I don't think is anywhere near as honest as he should have been about his struggles. Of course he discusses them, but glosses over them and makes what seem like pretty lame excuses for his addictions, when anyone with the slightest insight on the man know that his issues run much deeper. I have read in interviews that the reason he wrote this book is he needed the money and it feels like it when reading "Rumours of my Demise." There isn't enough about his career, his life, his relationships, that we either don't already know, or couldn't have guessed. I didn't learn a great deal more about the man than I already know, which is a shame because I was really hoping to learn what makes this extremely talented, but incredibly flawed man, tick. I enjoyed it, but nowhere near as much as I could have had Evan allowed us greater access to his life rather than just pumping out a mediocre attempt at a memoir in order to cash in on the interest.

[Darcy Knorr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Evan Dando and rock memoirs. Lack of self-awareness balanced out by kind heart and fun stories.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Evan does/did a lot of drugs. He needed some money so he half assed this memoir.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love the music, it’s a no brainer. Yes, he rambles and is intermittently deep and then juvenile, but the music will have prepared you for that already. He could’ve used a better editor here for sure, particularly toward the end, but the meandering style, fortunately Wade’s through plenty of interesting tidbits… the Keith Richard and Gibby Hanes info is particularly neat.

[Richard Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always loved the music. I’ve seen The Lemonheads a couple of times - always fun, always enjoyable, always pretty chaotic. The book read the same to me.
I was left wanting more. So have bought tickets to a gig in a small venue up in Newcastle, in 11 months from now.

[Tim Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The funny thing is I never wanted to be famous,” a semi-ironic statement from Evan Dando, in his book Rumors of My Demise (review copy provided by Gallery Books, a division of Simon
& Schuster ©️ 2025). To much of the world, he isn’t all that famous (not anymore, at least). To the grunge fan (and those who grew up in the ripped jeans, flannel and combat boot era) he was a familiar name on the fringe of a movement. Yet that doesn’t take away from the fragile story of his medioric rise to fringe-worthy prominence.

A curious kid, looking for his place in this world, he eventually succumbed to the stereotypes of a touring musician with punk-rock roots. Overwhelmed by drugs, lament and dick-ish behavior (“my biggest regret in life is not being more considerate to people”), Dando looks back with genuine inquisitiveness of how things might have been different.

What started as an experiment soon turns into an experience , and Dando was present and absent, living his best and worst life for all of it.
The reflective “what if?” tone of Rumors seems natural. Dando’s story is full of detail, a cornucopia of quandary he never quite figured out how to shake.

At times painted into a corner by the press, he almost unknowingly continued to live up to their perception of him, a weirdo, drama-filled druggy who couldn’t find his way. Of course, at times the press just used his own words against him, his only crime - being naively authentic.
This is the crux of his story which takes the reader on the ride of all rides as he and his band The Lemonheads grew to prominence both here in the United States and across the pond in the UK, Australia, and Japan.

The steady rise to fame, he recognizes with subtle disdain was due to a series of cover songs, first “Luka” then “Mrs. Robinson” a fact that lingers over him like a cloud of disgust. Neither take away from this talent and you can see through his diverse stories. Dando left a mistake-riddled mark in virtually every setting, on multiple continents. In the end, he just wanted to be taken seriously.

Rumors feels real. The genuineness of Dando’s words and music show that at its core, all art is expression, capable of helping others get through the hard stuff. If true, Dando says, “everything wasn’t for nothing. If it’s a lie, then nothing was for anything which is fine in his book.”

Rumors of My Demise is not a redemption story but it is a story of survival and for Evan Dando, making music and listening to music and playing it for others is ultimately a blessing, curse and privilege. After years of searching, he seems to have found his footing and his story is worth it.

Appreciators of celebrity memoirs will certainly find this no-nonsense look at the ups and downs of a rock ‘n’ roll star fulfilling. 4/5 stars.

[Callahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great read for anyone who's a fan of The Lemonheads! Loved his candid, conversational writing style. Some fun anecdotes, great name-drops and insights on songwriting and backstories on all of their biggest hits and records.

[Adam Parrilli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mostly enjoyable read. Yeah there’s lotsa drug talk and a bit too much on the early, early Lemonheads, but overall very good and hard to put down. Dude definitely sounds damaged… He really distills much of what came before in the final chapter and in the epilogue. I’m looking forward to hearing the new record when it drops this Friday. ✌️

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evan is on my list. Yeah, that list. AND to top it off, I met him in a Mexican bar in NJ, before a gig, on my birthday. I have a picture of Evan with his arm around me. I was flying high, but not literally. Evan on the other hand…

After reading this book, there is a lot to unpack. First, what a life. Evan always seemed to have everything work out for him. One lucky man. Besties with Johnny. Wow.

As far as the Nirvana connection. Interesting choice of words during that chapter. But let’s let died dog lie.

My biggest reason for my rating, your voice. One that I have heard a zillion times but from the very first chapter bought me back to my ex who sounded the same at his end. He died of a heroin overdose. It gave me some weird flashback. Made me sad the entire book.

I’m so glad you’re “clean” now, Evan. The last time I saw you was in NYC, where the set started normal and then midway you stopped and just played the drums. I never saw a crowd leave so quickly. It was painful to watch. Why? Because you are so much more and better than that.

Finally, Mrs. Robinson was a huge hit, like it or not. And dare I say- better than the original. Which is not an easy feat.

[Bernard Laugen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.35- a wild and entertaining ride through the life and times of Evan Dando of the lemonheads. It’s haphazard, it’s heartfelt, it’s funny, it’s entertaining, it’s absolutely insane. It’s all those things and I think in that sense, it’s kinda probably like Evan Dando himself. And one thing that shines through all the drugs and all the gossip and all the wild stories, is that he really, really loves music.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. Way better than I expected it to be. Dando is very funny and, although he makes light of some pretty troubling substance abuse, he is also pretty aware of his self-destructive nature and its effects on himself and others. His explanations and descriptions of the various lineups of the Lemonheads were dizzying. However, they were almost an afterthought. The real highlight of this book was the endless storytelling and random asides. There is a nonchalance in his writing style and retelling of these stories that this reader found very entertaining and frequently endearing. I kind of rooted for him to get his act together and to simultaneously keep the good times rolling. I will say that I hope he kicks the hardcore drug use for good, but I think his tone on this subject throughout speaks for itself. This is worth your time.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apart from their music, I never knew much about the Lemonheads or the lead singer Evan Dando. The book didn't make me a fan of him as a person, but in his defense, he struggled with drugs most of his life. But he also came from a family with wealth and connections, so this is very much an "insider" book which made it very interesting--the bands he played with, the celebrities and movie stars he dated and hung out with. It was also a healthy dose of nostalgia for the late 80s and 90s.

[George Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rambling, in a really good way.

[Eric Rovie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of The Lemonheads and of rock memoirs, I read this with great excitement. Much like the author, it’s all over the place. Weird transitions and anecdotes that come out of nowhere (much like his solo shows) and lots and lots of drugs.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rumors of my Demise by Evan Dando. Thanks to @gallerybooks for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rockstar Evan Dando recounts his life, up to, after, and including his time as the frontman of the Lemonheads. After Kurt Cobain’s untimely death at the heart of his success in 1994, many thought Dando was next.

Any fans of music history and music memoirs will enjoy this one. There’s so much about the music in it, but also about the culture of the time period, addiction, and general drama of success. Personally, I remember Evan Dando mostly as a rockstar heartthrob of the nineties, which he definitely hits on in the memoir. I love that he cleared up the Courtney & Kurt drama, as I remember a little bit of that as well. Dando has lived his life as an artist authentically and this memoir really shows that.

“Doing heroin is like a deal with the devil and you can get what you want, but you always pay a price.”

“I went from indie darling to drug addict overnight. The thing about labels is that over time they lose their stick and flutter away. At the end of the day all an artist has are the things they make, not what others say about them.”

Rumors of my Demise comes out 10/7.

[Beckie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much hope and heartbreak from a beautiful human. Praying he stays clean and the demons leave him alone.

[Luke B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crack 101 with Evan Dando.

[The_enchanted.Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adored The Lemonheads as an early teen. Back when internet was non existent so we always craved so much insight into our favourite artists.

Yes, the writing itself is all over the place and rambled a lot but then it really suits Dando to write like this - he himself is/was chaotic but at least he was real and raw. So why get a ghostwriter?

Some interesting insights and some controversial claims about him were left out that I wanted to know about.

[Andrew Pannelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into Evan's life from high school as the eventual guardian of the Lemonheads. I've followed these guys casually over the years, and always listened for what Evan was going to put out next. Great read and my first real foray back into a book all the way since I graduated a couple of years ago, I'm glad this was the book I chose to jump back into reading.

[Andy Haddon · Rating 2 out of 5]

More Substances Than Substance

Disclaimer: I was never a fan of the Lemonheads. OK I said it
.
But that doesn't mean I approached this book expecting to dislike it. Actually the opposite. I hoped that this book would shatter (or at least) recalibrate my opinion of Evan Dando, which was that he was good looking mildly talented guy who found himself making records and touring when he'd much rather be back in a hotel room f*cking models and snorting drugs. And maybe not in that order.

Well, consider my opinion very much unshattered, cos this memoir is basically a chronological list of women Dando 'dated' and the massive amount of class A drugs he's ingested, snorted, shot up and quadrospazzed himself with until his teeth fell out. Oh, and he cobbled together numerous bandmates to make a succession of records that occasionally sold enough copies to afford him even more drugs.

I'll say this. Dando doesn't hold back when it comes to his booze and drug consumption, and it's matched only by his namedropping of all the famous and beautiful people he's done those drugs with; even at Ground Zero, when Dando watches the second plane fly into the tower he's necking drugs with a beautiful woman.

I can't fault Dando's honesty, but there's little here to disabuse me of the idea that Dando is a great looking fella who came from money, and got to meet the people he did, and do the things he's done primarily because he's a great looking fella who came from money and a privileged background. I didn't know his bandmates in the Lemonheads were even more privileged than he was, and were attending Harvard, but it does maybe explain why I didn't like their music or their vibe. Jealous, much? Maybe Dando's reckless abandon with drugs was a rejection of the cosiness and privilege his upbringing and friends afforded him? Nope, he just likes doing drugs. Lots of them.

Dando grounds a lot of his stories with his love of hardcore and punk, and it occasionally comes off like Dando is trying too hard to push his credentials. Tellingly, when he's hanging around with Fugazi - a band whose ideals and discipline are so far removed from Dando's it's hard to imagine them being good friends -Dando is in no way inspired to learn from them. He seeks out debauchery at every available opportunity. I came away with the impression that it's not because of any attempt at self sabotage because of self loathing (Dando knows and loves who he is), but rather because Dando knows his looks and reputation will open doors (and legs) wherever he goes, regardless of how f*cked up he is. Did I mention Dando does loads of drugs, like, all the time?

I've seen somewhere that Dando wrote the first four chapters himself and then a ghost writer helped with the rest, and if true is entirely in keeping with the slacker vibe that Dando proudly wears like a mouldy cardigan throughout the book; a lot of this feels like anecdotes told incrementally over an extended period of time then cut and pasted into a chronology of Dando's recording career by someone else.

I really wanted to like this book, it's not a badly written book - it's a quick and easy read if you're a fan - but it feels very much like a contractual obligation, and copious drug taking and name dropping celebs aside, there's not much really here. Which might be exactly how, Evan Dando Arch Slacker that he is, likes it.

[Jonas Paro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evan berättar om sin karriär och sitt liv på ett ganska rakt och ärligt sätt, och det är såklart givande för den som gillade den ”alternativa musikscenen” på 90-talet. En läsvärd bok med en hel del bra stories och stark namedropping.

[Martin Borrott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable account of the life of an underrated songwriter.

[Hillary · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a twat.

[Lee Selwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was at Johnny Depp’s house discussing this book with Liv Tyler & Kate Moss and although we all agreed the name dropping was excessive we all thought it was quite an entertaining light read.

I imagine there’s a more serious deep dive into Dando’s flaws and addiction issues that could have been recorded. I mean the man lost his teeth!

Also the occasional drink on tour he enjoys now must be a biblical size because I saw him in Manchester last month on the last tour and he was bladdered.

[annmarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a Lemonheads fan this is worth a read for the nostalgia and some "behind the scenes" stories. There are moments where you think Evan is self-aware and going to dig in deep and reflect on his actions, but then he pulls back and keeps things only surface level. Still, it was an enjoyable read. It felt like sitting and having a conversation with him, let he was just telling you stories from his life.

"I just wanted to be myself, my slightly weird and somewhat self-indulgent self. (Okay, maybe not somewhat.)"

"I was doing a lot of one-off shows, just me and my guitar, and learned something important about myself: I wasn’t very reliable on my own. Things tended to go wrong when I toured by myself. I might oversleep, get lost on the way to the gig, or take too many Klonopins. In my opinion, it’s better to do a bad show than no show at all. I’ve had a few bad ones—not too many—but when I fuck up, I go all the way."

"If I could go back in time and give a bit of advice to myself, I’d say, “Evan, don’t be such a dick.” My biggest regret in life is not being more considerate to people. It’s not that hard and it’s a better way to be."

"I’ve learned it doesn’t cost anything to be polite, and you can ruin someone’s day by being a jerk, so why not be polite all the time?"

"A tape is finite. You have a limited amount of space to work with. I like the constraint of a cassette. Tapes are fragile. They’re so easily damaged. You have to take care of them. When someone gives you a tape to listen to, what do you do with it? You put it in your breast pocket, close to your heart. I think cassette tapes are one of the few things my generation got right."

"Digital is disposable, but a tape is a document."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2025 📖 Read #48/Book 138

[William (Bill) Fluke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn’t expect a large audience for this book given that Evan Dando and his band The Lemonheads never quite achieved the status of his class contemporaries like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I chose to read the book as I am a fan of memoirs and enjoyed the music of The Lemonheads in the late 80’s and 90’s. Dando’s memoir is like too many other memoirs- ramblings of the author on his life with little direction or story arc. “Rumors of My Demise” is chalk full of Dando’s ramblings on his drug habit. A heroin and crack addict who is proud to speak of dropping acid, handing out ecstacy and trading art for drugs with concert attendees. These are just part of Dando’s bragging. He admits at being much like his teenage self though in his 50’s currently. He claims to not be a celebrity seeker but the book is full of him name dropping celebrities (Johnny Depp, Keith Richards , Kate Moss, etc). While I can enjoy a memoir that doesn’t include redemptive qualities, I found nothing in this near 300 page book that made it worthy of a read. Not even for Lemonhead’s super fans. Dando has a new LP out and is touring again. I would not be surprised to read of an arrest or a drug fueled incident hitting the news given Dando’s admitted tendencies.

[Westley Cornett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up kind of idolizing Evan Dando. He was everything it meant to be cool in the 90's. An absolute icon.

I excitedly started reading the book. At first it was pretty interesting seeing how he grew up and his honesty about it all. Not touting himself as a poor child with challenging times, but in a well to do household and attending private school in Boston.

There were some really great stories in the memoir. Especially the stories of him and Johnny Depp. But the overall arching theme of the book was he did a lot of drugs and loved to perform. Which is fine, but it was told in a way that kind of made it seem repetitive and boring.

I'm not sure what I was looking for but maybe a bit more depth to some of the things that were happening would have been nice.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most people that will have read this book, I have been an avid Lemonheads fan since my teenage years, so I was really looking forward to this book.

I think there is a pretty even balance of letting the reader in, but also creating some distance too. overly honest about their self destruction, but also the withholding of a fair amount of detail too.

Certain periods are rushed through a little and it does feel like the ending with where his life now could have been stretched out a little more, but I kinda of like the stream of consciousness closing chapters of the book.

not sure how much it would appeal to non-lemonheads fans but then you could say that about most music biogs. I enjoyed it

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dig The Lemonheads and when Jojo offered me his library copy I took advantage. And of course, non fiction isn’t my bag usually, so yeah, a 12 day read tracks for this one. I thought it was a good read though. Evan Dando, while somewhat privileged, was humble and inquisitive with his life story. He seemed to come around to learning more about himself through the years. I appreciated the musical process he refers to and all the name dropping (dude knows lots of people). For the most part I liked what he had to say. Stay off the drugs, kids!